2022 MCC Hall of Fame Honoree: Dr. Tajudeen ‘T.J.’ Soyoye
For Nigerian native Dr. Tajudeen “T.J.” Soyoye, getting his immigrant visa to study
at Meridian Community College was a call for celebration.
“This was one of the joyous moments in my life as I knew then that my life will change forever for good,” Dr. Soyoye remembered.
Dr. Soyoye is one of four MCCers who will be added to the College’s Hall of Fame roster on Tuesday, March 8, during a ceremony spotlighting the honorees’ achievements. Hosted by the MCC Foundation, the induction ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the McCain Theater. The ceremony will be live-streamed via mcceagles.live.
Honorees are alumni or former employees who have excelled in their careers and missions in life. They have elevated MCC’s esteem through their achievements, service, and association with the higher education institution.
Joining Dr. Soyoye in this year’s class are Wilhelmine Damon, Dr. Ray Denton, and Anne Dowdle.
As a youth, Dr. Soyoye played basketball worldwide for the Nigerian national team when then MCC Basketball Coach Dennis Helms saw him. “He believed and trusted me to be a good fit for the team he was putting together for the 1997-98 and 1999-2000 seasons,” Dr. Soyoye said.
MCC proved to be a newfound home for him. “I have so many memories from Meridian Community College, but the fondest and best was the communal living where almost everyone knew everyone,” he said. He also discovered that classmates and instructors were willing to lend a helping hand to others in times of need. “Loved it,” he said.
Others were willing to help, including his host family especially Josephine Virgil and Willie L. Brown. “These people are also very instrumental in my success in Meridian and beyond,” Dr. Soyoye noted.
He also holds a deep appreciation for his MCC coach. “He prepared not just me but all of us for the things to come in life after basketball. For him, a good education is a key to success; basketball is just a vehicle. I loved and bought into that idea early on, and it stuck with me,” Dr. Soyoye said.
The MCC Eagles gained a fifth-place finish in the 1999 National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division I national tournament, and Dr. Soyoye earned NJCAA All-American First-Team honors that year.
After receiving his associate in arts degree with academic honors, Dr. Soyoye earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences at the University of Missouri, where he played center for the Mizzou Tigers. He later entered the professional basketball arena playing in Europe, but his childhood dream of becoming a physician (his dad was an herbalist) remained a passion.
He studied medicine at American University of Antigua and returned to the University of Missouri to complete his residency. Today he is an emergency room and family medicine physician who holds medical licensures and privileges in New York, Georgia, and Missouri. He and his wife are the parents of five children, three daughters and twin sons.
When asked to define success, Dr. Soyoye pointed elsewhere. “My definition of success is deeply rooted in my faith as a Christian where every success accomplished is seen as by the grace of God.”